The moment I stepped into America’s Center Convention Complex for the 62nd General Conference Session, I was swept into a current of humanity—so many people from so many places filling the facility.
While more than 99 percent of the tens of thousands of people in attendance were technically strangers to me, there was still the knowledge that we are all bound by our love of Jesus and our support of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. You can look anyone in the eye and find a smile, a nod, a gesture, a kind glance. We don’t always speak the same language, but we share the same Spirit. Even the smallest moments feel uniting.
As a first-time delegate and GC Session attendee, I wasn’t certain what to expect. After the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, I anticipated being similarly overwhelmed and overstimulated—and I was right. This was particularly true in the exhibitor hall, with some of the best-designed exhibit booths I have ever seen.
One thing that struck me immediately was the global tapestry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church present there. As you walk around, you hear the hum of many languages and see the traditional cultural dress from around 200 countries. About 60 interpreters were employed during the session to provide translations in eight languages. Every session, every motion, every amendment was translated and relayed in real time, keeping the 2,809 delegates united in purpose, if not always in opinion.
Amidst the diversity and density, everything ran with remarkable order. With previous experience in event management, I give sincere praise to the logistics team for maintaining timetables, moving thousands of people expeditiously through food lines, organizing more than 100 vendors, and attending to the needs of multigenerational, multicultural delegates and families. The complex was a machine with a pulse—structured but alive.
A voice, a vote and a sense of belonging
The session floor was a room I never imagined walking into where I didn’t just get a seat, I got a voice with my fellow believers. To be chosen from your region to cast votes that shape the policy and direction of the global church leaves you with the feeling of both humility and a huge sense of responsibility.
Of course, not everything was awe-inspiring. Some items on the agenda moved with lightning speed while others drug on with the number of people at the microphones. Sessions can run long, the mood can shift to irritability, and fatigue can become a spiritual test.
And then there were the commenters, those well-meaning individuals who feel compelled to speak to seemingly every motion, even the ones that seem procedural or self-evident. Yet, the very act of people stepping up to the microphone was one of the most compelling parts of the session. The floor became a window into the values, histories and passions of regions far from our own. It becomes evident that unity in mission may not necessarily mean uniformity in faith experience.
I could say mid-session that I was physically tired but still spiritually energized. Each day at session reminded me that my church family is not just a local congregation or even a national organization, but a global family—passionate, hopeful, messy, and deeply connected. Being a delegate didn’t just given me a vote; it gave me a sense of what it means to belong to a faithful group of Christ’s followers.
— Liz Kirkland is communication director for the Rocky Mountain Conference.
Photo: Caleb Durant
